A Masked Deception

Book was promptly mailed and as described. Very satisfied. Will use this same method again for obtaining outdated books.

Set during the French Revolution, Richard Adair, Seventh Earl of Bramption must marry to set up his nursery. Unknown to him, his bride-to-be in this marriage of convenience, is his lost love. The masked lady he has never forgotten during the past 6 years. Margaret Wells, suffering through an unemotional honeymoon with Richard, is determined to woo her husband back, by becoming the woman he lost so long ago. What will happen when and if he discovers her ruse? Mary Balogh is an expect on emotions, she gives us what real people would think and do. Sexual content but not overtly graphic. Definite keeper!! Marilyn, The Regency Lover's Cafe

When I picked up this book, I was simply thrilled to have found the first published book by the highly praised (and rightly so!) Mary Balogh. My high expectations were by no means disappointed. This is the story of shy Margaret Wells, an unwed 25-year-old lady who has for six long years nursed a secret passion for the Earl of Brampton. During her year as a debutante, the two met at a masquerade and fell hard for each other. She knew his identity, but her own remained hidden from the earl. When the time for unmasking arrived, Margaret had already been jerked away from the ball by her parents and never found the courage to reveal who she was to the earl. Now, he is looking for a marriage of convenience, and Margaret, thinking this is her one chance at happiness, agrees to serve as his boring, proper bride.Alas for her expectations--the earl is still in love with his "angel," the masked girl from six years ago, and has no intentions of pursuing deeper feelings with his convenient wife. When Margaret realizes this, she decides on one last, desperate ploy...she will once again disguise herself and try to win his heart.This novel is wonderfully written. It holds the necessary descriptions of Regency mores, dresses, carriages, etc., but it also sweeps the reader away into a tangled web of complicated feelings and relationships that transcend the time period. One caveat to the reader new to Balogh--unlike most traditional Regencies, this book does have sex in it. But Balogh always uses it as a means to further reveal her characters' growth, never as a flimsy substitute for plot.